IRS official takes the Fifth: “I have not done anything wrong”

At a House hearing, Lois Lerner invoked the Fifth Amendment and refused to answer questions VIDEO

Wednesday, May 22, 2013 3:31 PM UTC
Video, Lois Lerner, IRS

Experts: Fox News spying scandal a game-changer

Advocates see potential "sea change" now that government crackdown on leaks includes framing journalism as a crime

Wednesday, May 22, 2013 3:24 PM UTC
james rosen, AP, First Amendment

Lessons from Lincoln leave gay immigrants behind

"The painful but necessary imperfection of compromise" means LGBT immigrants are excluded from immigration reform

Wednesday, May 22, 2013 1:59 PM UTC
Immigration, Gay Rights

Los Angeles elects first Jewish mayor

Eric Garcetti beat out Wendy Greuel, who would have been the first female mayor of the city

Wednesday, May 22, 2013 1:15 PM UTC
Los Angeles, Eric Garcetti

Peter King: There’s “hypocrisy” over aid by Oklahoma senators

But he added that the state should still get relief for the devastating tornado

Wednesday, May 22, 2013 1:13 PM UTC
Oklahoma, Oklahoma tornado

Anthony Weiner announces run for NYC mayor

"I hope I get a second chance to work for you," he says in a video announcing his bid VIDEO

Wednesday, May 22, 2013 12:58 PM UTC
Video, Anthony Weiner, New York

How policy nihilists in the Senate doomed LGBT immigrants

Same-sex couples lose in Senate immigration reform fight, as Democrats pander to cynical Lindsey Graham

Wednesday, May 22, 2013 12:29 PM UTC 22
Opening Shot

On freedom of speech, Obama-Nixon comparisons are apt

Comparing Benghazi and the IRS flap to Watergate is wrong, but on First Amendment issues this president disappoints

Wednesday, May 22, 2013 11:45 AM UTC 27
Barack Obama, Richard Nixon

Senate panel approves immigration overhaul

The legislation will grant citizenship to millions of immigrants living illegally in the United States

and , Associated Press Wednesday, May 22, 2013 11:39 AM UTC
Associated Press, Senate

Slave descendants seek equal rights from Cherokee Nation

A new lawsuit challenges the exclusion of African-descended Cherokees from tribal benefits

, This Land Tuesday, May 21, 2013 10:15 PM UTC
This Land, Oklahoma, slavery

Peace Corps to allow gay couples to volunteer together

The volunteer program announced the new policy on Tuesday

Tuesday, May 21, 2013 9:02 PM UTC
peace corp, Gay Marriage

Is abortion about to doom Republicans again?

With arch-conservative nominees in Virginia, a test is emerging -- and an Akin moment may not be far behind

Tuesday, May 21, 2013 8:56 PM UTC 14
Abortion, Trent Franks

Anti-voter-fraud Tea Party group sues the IRS

True the Vote filed a suit over the alleged targeting of conservative groups

Tuesday, May 21, 2013 8:48 PM UTC 22
True The Vote, Voter Fraud, IRS

The Bachmann-inspired romance novel

A character based on the former presidential candidate crash lands in Siberia, and romance ensues

Tuesday, May 21, 2013 8:35 PM UTC 12
Michele Bachmann, Romance, Novels

Nate Silver: Why the scandals aren’t hurting Obama

Obama's approval losses could be "offset by improved voter attitudes about the economy," Silver argued

Tuesday, May 21, 2013 8:20 PM UTC
Barack Obama, IRS, Benghazi

How to oust Michele Bachmann from Congress

Leading her in the polls, Democratic challenger Jim Graves tells Salon his plan to upset the Tea Party icon in 2014

Tuesday, May 21, 2013 7:43 PM UTC
Jim Graves, Michele Bachmann

Rand Paul: Congress should apologize to Apple, not the other way around

At a Tuesday hearing on Apple's tax avoidance strategies, Paul chastised Congress and gushed about Apple VIDEO

Tuesday, May 21, 2013 6:56 PM UTC 33
Video, Apple, Rand Paul, Taxes

Who is Toronto Mayor Rob Ford?

Before he allegedly smoked crack on camera, Ford was known for being one of Canada's most obnoxious politicians

, Jacobin Tuesday, May 21, 2013 6:04 PM UTC
Jacobin, rob ford, Toronto, Canada

Colorado judge rules Abercrombie parent company violates Disabilities Act

The SoCal-themed retailer Hollister was sued for failing to make its stores wheelchair-accessible

, The American Independent Tuesday, May 21, 2013 4:44 PM UTC
The American Independent

When America became a third-world country

Public investment has been a key to U.S. prosperity for the past century. Sequestration will undo all that

and , TomDispatch.com Tuesday, May 21, 2013 4:33 PM UTC 56
TomDispatch.com, Education

Inhofe and Coburn: Red state hypocrites

Apparently, we have deserving and undeserving disasters, Oklahoma senators James Inhofe and Tom Coburn explain

Tuesday, May 21, 2013 4:09 PM UTC 246
Oklahoma tornado

It’s Whitewater all over again

Obama's "scandals" are not like Nixon's. They're a fishing expedition to stop his agenda and find something bigger

Tuesday, May 21, 2013 3:37 PM UTC 67
Media Criticism, Watergate

Teen activist to meet with Abercrombie CEO

Benjamin O’Keefe is petitioning A&F to expand its sizes and is now set to discuss the matter with Mike Jeffries

Tuesday, May 21, 2013 3:36 PM UTC 12
abercrombie and fitch

Anyone regret slashing National Weather Service budget now?

With GOP-backed cuts to forecasting agency, experts warn future storms will go undetected and more lives lost

Tuesday, May 21, 2013 3:15 PM UTC 78
Editor's Picks

Oklahoma senator: Tornado aid “totally different” from Sandy aid

Sen. James Inhofe, a Republican, voted against federal funding for Hurricane Sandy victims VIDEO

Tuesday, May 21, 2013 3:12 PM UTC 129
Video, Hurricane Sandy

Aloof, shifty Obama: Nixon times ten thousand!

Our evil president managed to both mastermind the IRS flap and be such a bad boss that no one told him about it

Tuesday, May 21, 2013 3:07 PM UTC 43
Opening Shot, Barack Obama, IRS

Obama: Moore “needs to get everything it needs right away”

The president pledges his support to the Oklahoma town as it recovers from a devastating tornado

Tuesday, May 21, 2013 2:42 PM UTC
Associated Press, Barack Obama

California Tea Party group files first IRS lawsuit

The NorCal Tea Party Patriots accused the IRS of violating its constitutional rights

Tuesday, May 21, 2013 1:27 PM UTC 14
IRS, Tea Party, California

Still no polling backlash for Obama

But the Tea Party has gotten a boost from the ongoing IRS and Benghazi controversies

Tuesday, May 21, 2013 1:17 PM UTC
Barack Obama, Tea Party, IRS

Oklahoma senator wants to offset tornado aid with other cuts

Both Republican Oklahoma senators voted against federal relief for Hurricane Sandy victims

Tuesday, May 21, 2013 1:04 PM UTC 27
Oklahoma, Tom Coburn

Former IRS commissioner to testify on Capitol Hill

The Senate Finance Committee has launched an investigation into the improper targeting of Tea Party groups

and , Associated Press Tuesday, May 21, 2013 12:34 PM UTC
Associated Press, IRS

Limbaugh: No one willing to impeach the first black president

Rush announced on Monday that Obama is not in "any jeopardy" of impeachment -- but only because he is black VIDEO

Monday, May 20, 2013 9:24 PM UTC 65
Video, Benghazi, Barack Obama

Top White House aides knew about IRS probe but didn’t tell Obama

Chief of Staff Denis McDonough and other senior White House aides knew about the report last month

Monday, May 20, 2013 8:51 PM UTC 10
Barack Obama, White House, IRS

Gohmert: IRS would’ve “probably shot the Boston Tea Party participants”

"They would have killed off over half of the signers of the Declaration of Independence," he added VIDEO

Monday, May 20, 2013 8:33 PM UTC 31
Video, Louie Gohmert, Texas

Oregon senator proposes appeal to Monsanto Protection Act

Following outcry, Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., announced that he would put forward an amendment to Senate farm bill

Monday, May 20, 2013 8:26 PM UTC 11
monsanto protection act

Supreme Court to rule on prayer at government meetings

The justices agreed to determine if Christian prayer at a town council meeting violated the Establishment Clause

Monday, May 20, 2013 8:22 PM UTC 14

Beltway scandal machine breaks, knows nothing about America

While DC fixates on whether Obama is worse than Nixon, polls show the public likes the president more and more

Monday, May 20, 2013 8:02 PM UTC 174
Benghazi, IRS investigation

Top GOP official: “Sometimes our party does not value” women “as much”

“It’s not hard to recruit women to run; they are running,” said the Republican State Leadership Committee president

Monday, May 20, 2013 8:01 PM UTC 11
Chris Jankowski

Colorado Dems fight back against GOP’s Voter ID measures

State Democrats passed legislation to allow voter registration up until Election Day

Monday, May 20, 2013 7:58 PM UTC
Colorado, Democrats, Voter ID

Watchdogs: ABC “in danger of losing a lot of credibility” on Benghazi saga

After inaccurate reporting transformed the trajectory of the story, the network doubles down and denies culpability

Monday, May 20, 2013 7:15 PM UTC 21
ABC, Jon Karl, Benghazi, Media